The present invention relates to a special purpose grab used in association with a lift and positioning device such as an overhead crane, the combination of which is employed to locate the grab for clampably engaging and thereafter up-end turning a reel of coiled strip material from an axis vertical-to-horizontal disposition as would normally be necessary for the loading thereof on coil material conversion machinery, exemplary of which employment use would be as in the handling of steel coil material during movement from a horizontal palletized shipping and storage configuration to an up-ended vertical configuration for the installation thereof upon a reel stand for infeed to a cutting press or some such similar piece of equipment.
Because of the simplicity of the device taught herein it is well suited for handling coils of limited size variation in width and diameter, and is particularly suited for the handling of coils with a width of less than one-third of the diameter, but, however, not of a width less than one-tenth of the diameter, with a total width to diameter variation of the coil to be handled by the device hereof not to exceed two-to-one.
Relatively simple narrow width coil engagement and lifting devices would be generally similar to that as taught by Mueller et al in U.S. Pat. No. 2,374,120 dated Apr. 17, 1945, wherein a pivotally acting lever-arm structure is adapted for overhead crane suspension for the engaging and lifting of coiled reels of strip material, wherein the device automatically disconnects from a coil load when lowered into place upon a support surface, but, however, is not per se designed to accommodate coil up-ending.
Another narrow width coil handling device, which is adapted to provide coil turning from an axis vertical-to-horizontal configuration by a structure that is distinguished but by a method of employment that is similar to that of the instant invention, is as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,780 to Dixon, dated May 8, 1956. A subsequent teaching by Dixon, in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,816,792 dated Dec. 17, 1957, is characteristic of a relatively simple up-ending grab device for handling wide width coils wherein the up-end turning of a clamped coil from one position to another is incident to the application of an overhead crane-engaged lifting force to the device and is dependent upon engagement positioning thereof about the dog-leg periphery of a C-clamp frame member.
Applicant's instant invention embodies as a sub-assembly structural feature thereof a manually operated latch-and pin lever arm lock and release device being functionally similar to, but, again, structurally distinguished from the cylindrical object lifting grab teaching by Russell in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,084 dated June 27, 1978, which is provided with a cam operated clamp lock that is engaged and released by manual manipulation.
As pointed out above, some of the features of the instant invention have, in some respects, both structural and/or functional similarities to various of those teachings separately set forth in the prior art disclosures heretofore cited and briefly discussed. However, as will hereinafter be pointed out, the instant invention is distinguished from said earlier inventions in one or more ways in that the present invention has utility features and new and useful advantages, applications, and improvements in the art of narrow width coil grab up-enders not heretofore known.